~Lily~
They didn't plan to be alone.
But somehow, the universe always bent that way when it came to them.
Dan had taken Ezra out for an early morning hike. Her mom had gone to run errands.
And Jaden?
He knocked on her door around ten with a bag of chocolate croissants and a shy smile.
"I brought peace offerings."
"For what?" Lily asked, pulling the door open.
He shrugged. "I don't know. You looked like you needed one."
She let him in.
They ended up curled on the couch, music playing low, the blanket pulled over their legs, the pastry bag long forgotten on the coffee table.
Lily leaned into his shoulder, watching the way his hand absentmindedly traced circles on her knee.
It was quiet.
Safe.
And then, it wasn't.
She turned to look at him, and their faces were too close. His fingers slid to her jaw, brushing lightly, like he couldn't believe she was real.
"Are we…" she started, then hesitated.
"What are we?" he asked.
"Yeah."
He exhaled slowly. "I don't know yet. But I want more than…this tension. I want something that doesn't vanish the second someone else walks into the room."
Lily swallowed. "I do too."
He leaned in and kissed her—soft, steady, like he had all the time in the world.
But time didn't feel slow. Not with him.
It was all fast heartbeats and flushed skin and clothes slowly sliding away like pages of a story they weren't sure they were ready to finish.
Her hoodie hit the floor.
He paused, his eyes searching hers. "You sure?"
She nodded. "Are you?"
"Always," he whispered against her collarbone.
He kissed her like it meant something. Because it did.
She tugged at his shirt, and then he was above her, skin warm and breath shaking, his mouth trailing down her neck.
And then—
She whispered, almost so faintly he didn't hear it: "I've never done this before."
He froze.
Pulled back just enough to see her face.
"You haven't?" His voice wasn't judgmental. Just surprised. Gentle.
She shook her head, suddenly self-conscious. "Not even close."
He ran a hand through his hair, then pressed his forehead to hers.
"Lily…"
"It's okay," she said quickly, already trying to move, but he stopped her with a touch.
"No. Don't pull away."
She looked up, unsure.
"I just— I didn't know. And I don't want our first time to be like this. Like we fell into it because we were alone and your hoodie was cute."
She smiled, small. "You like my hoodie?"
"Obsessively," he said. Then quieter: "But I want it to mean something. Something real. For you."
Her chest ached. In the best way.
"So we're not…?"
He shook his head slowly. "Not yet."
"Because I'm not ready?"
"Because I care enough to wait until you are."
And just like that, the pull didn't vanish. It changed.
Deepened.
Jaden pulled her into his arms, both of them still half undressed, and just held her.
Warm. Close. Breathing in sync.
And it meant more than anything else could have.
⸻
They were still curled together on the couch.
Her hoodie was on the floor.
Jaden's shirt was draped over the armrest.
They hadn't done anything—not really. But their bodies were wrapped around each other like they didn't know where one ended and the other began. His hand rested lightly on her hip. Her face was pressed to his chest. His heartbeat was still a little fast.
And that's exactly how her mom found them.
The door creaked open.
Then her mom's voice.
"Lily—"
Lily froze.
Jaden sat up fast, his arm yanking back like it had burned him. She scrambled for the blanket, pulling it over her bare shoulders just as her mom's eyes locked onto the scene in front of her.
Her mom blinked.
Said nothing for one long, horrifying moment.
Then: "Can we talk?"
Lily's voice cracked. "Now?"
Her mom's tone was calm, but it had that edge. That mom tone. "Yes. Now."
Jaden stood slowly, already reaching for his shirt. "I should—uh—I'll go."
Her mom nodded, without looking at him. "That would be wise."
Lily could barely meet his eyes as he slipped out the door.
Then her mom turned to her.
"You know… Dan wasn't supposed to be anything."
Lily looked over, surprised.
Her mom smiled faintly. "When I met him, I was still broken. Your dad and I had been divorced for almost three years. I was doing the whole strong single mom thing. Dating a little. Not seriously. Nothing that felt real."
She paused, searching the right words.
"Dan and I met at a charity book drive. We both reached for the same novel — The Great Gatsby, if you can believe it — and he looked at me like I was something more than tired and rebuilding."
Lily rested her chin on her knees, quietly listening.
"I found out later that he'd lost his wife ten years earlier. Cancer. He'd raised Ezra alone, held everything together, and never really let himself feel again. Until we met."
She turned toward Lily. "We weren't supposed to fall in love. We were just supposed to keep each other company in quiet places. But somewhere in the silence, it turned into something else."
Lily's throat tightened. "Were you scared?"
"Terrified," her mom admitted. "Because loving someone after you've been hurt… it takes courage. Real courage. But being loved again? That takes trust."
Lily blinked, slow. "So… how did you know you were ready?"
Her mom smiled, a little sad. "I didn't. I just knew I wanted to try. And Dan? He never rushed me. He let it be messy. He let me be human. That's how I knew."
They sat in silence a moment.
Then her mom reached out, brushing Lily's hair behind her ear — a gesture that felt like home.
"You're still figuring out who you are, Lily. That's okay. You don't owe anyone your body to prove your heart. And you don't owe anyone your heart just because your body wants something."
Lily looked down. "He stopped, Mom. Jaden. When I told him I was a virgin, he just… stopped. Gave me space."
Her mom's eyes softened. "That's a good boy. Don't lose yourself in someone who can't do that."
"I don't think I will."
"I hope you don't."
Lily leaned her head against her mom's shoulder, and for a while, they didn't talk.
It was enough to just sit there — two women, two hearts, and one shared truth:
Sometimes the right kind of love begins when you're brave enough to wait.
⸻
~Claire~
The house was calm again. Ezra was still out with friends. Jaden had texted that he made it home. Lily was in her room door closed, music soft.
Claire stood in the bathroom, brushing her teeth beside Dan, who was already halfway into his flannel pajama pants and folding towels from the laundry basket.
She rinsed, patted her face dry with a towel, and finally said what had been sitting heavy on her chest all day.
"I walked in on them."
Dan looked up. "Who?"
She gave him a look.
"Oh." He blinked. "Jaden and Lily?"
Claire nodded, leaning against the counter. "They weren't doing anything. But they were close. Under a blanket. His shirt was off. Her hoodie was on the floor."
Dan let out a low breath. "Okay. Did she tell you what happened?"
"She said nothing happened. That they stopped before it went further. That she's still a virgin."
Dan froze slightly, his hands still on a folded towel. "She told you that?"
"She's seventeen. I hope she tells me that."
He gave a slow, thoughtful nod. "And Jaden?"
"I asked him to leave the room. He didn't argue. Just went quietly."
Dan sat down on the bed, towel forgotten in his lap. "I know that boy. I've known him since he was born. He's not careless."
Claire sat beside him. "I don't think he is, either. But feelings are messy. Timing is messy. And she's my daughter. I still see the girl who needed me to tie her shoes."
Dan reached over, took her hand. "And now she's a young woman, falling for someone."
Claire smiled tightly. "It's not the falling that worries me. It's the landing."
Dan chuckled softly, then turned serious again. "Look, I can talk to Jaden. Not as his parent — just as someone who knows what it's like to love someone who's been through pain."
Claire squeezed his hand. "I don't want to scare him off. Or scare her."
"You're not. You're parenting. And frankly, I'd rather have this problem than her sneaking around with someone I didn't trust."
She let out a breath. "That's true."
They were quiet for a moment.
Then Dan said, "She's a lot like you, you know."
Claire turned to him. "How so?"
He smiled. "That look in her eyes when she's trying not to hope too hard. The way she questions everything except the people she loves."
Claire blinked back tears. "I hope she gets more than I did. Faster."
Dan kissed her temple. "She just might. Especially if that boy keeps stopping when she says she's not ready."
Claire smiled into his chest. "If he keeps that up, I might actually like him one day."
Dan chuckled. "You like him already."
"Maybe," she murmured. "But I'm not telling him that."
⸻
~Lily~
The moment her bedroom door was safely shut, Lily grabbed her phone, threw herself on her bed, and hit FaceTime.
She didn't even wait for them to answer before whisper-yelling, "You guys. You GUYS—"
Zoey answered first, wearing a sheet mask and holding popcorn. Harper appeared right behind her, lip gloss half-done and phone in hand.
"What happened?" Zoey gasped. "Are you pregnant?"
Lily choked. "WHAT—no!"
"Okay," Harper said, settling in. "So what did happen?"
Lily buried her face in her pillow, then lifted her head, wide-eyed. "My mom walked in on me and Jaden."
The scream Zoey let out could've cracked glass.
Harper's eyes flew open. "WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN WALKED IN?!"
Lily held up a hand. "We were not naked. I swear. But we were… close. His shirt was off. My hoodie was gone. We were cuddled under a blanket."
Zoey was gasping like she'd just run a marathon. "Did she scream? Did she call the police? Is Dan going to kill Jaden?"
"No. That's the weird part. She just stood there, looked at us, and then asked me to talk. Later. Alone."
Harper blinked. "And?"
Lily hesitated, then smiled faintly. "She wasn't angry. She was calm. Honest. She told me about how she and Dan met. How scared she was to love again. She just wanted to know I felt safe and respected."
Zoey stared. "I love your mom."
"I know." Lily flopped back. "It was like… she saw me. Not as a kid. As someone trying to figure it out."
Harper leaned in. "Okay but like, are you okay? You're the important part here."
"I think I am. Jaden stopped when I told him I was a virgin.
Zoey nodded slowly. "That's… a green flag. Like forest green. Evergreen."
Harper smirked. "Write him. Tell him how your mom really reacted. He probably thinks he's banned from the house forever."
Lily laughed softly. "Yeah. You're right."
⸻
~Later that Night~
She sat cross-legged in bed, staring at Jaden's name in her messages.
Finally, she typed:
LILY: Hey. Just wanted you to know my mom's not mad. Not even a little. She was surprised, sure. But she said she saw how you respected me. She told me about her and Dan. It turned into a good talk. One I didn't know I needed.
LILY: You're not banned. Yet.
The dots appeared almost immediately.
JADEN: That's a relief. I've been picturing Dan sharpening a kitchen knife all night.
LILY: Nah. He'd probably just give you a long, terrifying stare across the dinner table.
JADEN: Good. That I can handle.
There was a pause. Then:
JADEN: I'm really glad she saw that. And I'm really glad you told me.
Lily smiled at the screen, heart warm.